Maintenance man shoots home invader

FORESTVILLE, MD — A maintenance man at an apartment complex shot and killed a home invader Monday morning after the intruder forced the man into his apartment and fired a gun at him, according to The Washington Post.

The maintenance man was able to retrieve his own gun inside his apartment and return fire, fatally wounding the intruder, law enforcement sources said.

The incident started just before 9 a.m. when the maintenance man came upon the intruder trying to force a woman into her apartment, law enforcement sources said.

Concerned for the woman, the maintenance man asked what was going on; the intruder pointed a gun at him and forced him into his own apartment nearby, the article noted.

Law enforcement sources said that the intruder fired at the maintenance man and that the maintenance man retrieved his own gun and returned fire: When officers arrived, the intruder had been shot and wounded, the article stated.

"The victim ... had a weapon inside the home that he used to shoot the suspect," said Cpl. Mike Rodriguez, a spokesman for the Prince George''s County Police Department.

"We believe that the victim had every right to defend himself," Rodriguez added.

Law enforcement sources said the shooting appeared to be justified — a classic case of an armed homeowner shooting an intruder.

It remains unclear, however, how the maintenance man obtained his gun or whether he possessed it legally and investigators said they were still exploring that, the article concluded.